NBA 2K11's Full Court Press Nets Dividends

It may have been the lack of competition from EA Sports, but NBA 2K11 is 2K Sports' best-selling title ... ever.

Playing as Michael Jordan, following the basketball legend through the highlights of his career and giving players the chance to match him up against today's top ballers, was nothing short of brilliant. As a fan of the game, I enjoyed NBA 2K11's historical accuracy, as well as how expertly it translated a very physical game to pixels and controllers. The attention to detail paid off. In a conference call to investors this morning, Take Two Interactive announced that NBA 2K11 sold in (or shipped) over 4 million copies, which is more than any other 2K Sports game has ever sold.

"NBA 2K11 has now sold in nearly 4 million units since launching in early October, and has become the best-selling title in the history of both our basketball franchise and 2K Sports," said Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take Two.

Of course, NBA 2K11's peak performance occurred in a year that saw its chief competitor EA Sports cancel its own basketball game, Elite 11, leaving the cartoony NBA Jam as the only possible rival in the market this year. But for fans that wanted a simulation rather than an arcade game, NBA 2K11 delivered in the clutch.

I wonder if 2K Sports will ride its basketball franchise's success and have 2K12 follow a different legend. I hear that #33 for the Celtics was quite a player, how 'bout a game following Larry Bird's unlikely career as the Hick from French Lick? Hey, another idea, what about a game that traces the rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers, two teams that have met in the NBA Finals 12 times over 5 decades?